Alabama Football: Biggest Roadblocks to Perfect Season

The Alabama Crimson Tide is entering Week 4 of college football in the SEC with a perfect 3-0 record. However, the Crimson Tide will certainly have some roadblocks on their journey to a perfect season, and they begin with these three opponents.

Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers could possibly cut the Crimson Tide's progression to a perfect season short.

The Tigers have a beast at the running back position by the name of Onterio McCalebb.

The RB has put in a tremendous effort for Auburn this season, and he'll continue to progress. Thus far, McCalebb has 31 carries for 214 yards and one touchdown. He's averaging about 6.9 yards per carry—not too shabby, especially considering he has the potential to abuse Alabama's defensive line for more.

Although they aren't the best team in the SEC, they are a team that should be respected, primarily on the defensive side of the ball.

Two notable mentions are defensive backs Chris Davis and T'Sharvan Bell, who will try to have their way with opposing offenses, but there is one defensive end that is synonymous with Auburn football.

Defensive end Corey Lemonier could pose a threat to Alabama QB A.J. McCarron. Corey Lemonier has been considered by many as one of the best pass-rushers in the nation. The Tigers DE has recorded 10 tackles and three sacks in three games this season, and he'll surely add more to those totals as the season progresses.

If all the pieces to the puzzle align correctly, Auburn could end the perfect record belonging to the Crimson Tide.

Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M will be another important game to watch in Alabama's chase to perfection.

The Aggies are an underrated team. Let's not dwell too much on 2011, but six of their losses last season were by a touchdown or less. We rarely see this, especially at the college level.

Their offensive weapon that will test the Crimson Tide defense is running back Christine Michael. Last season, Michael had 144 rushes for 899 yards, and he'll look to improve those numbers this season. Up to this point, the Aggies running back has 13 attempts for 33 yards—averaging 2.5 yards a carry.

Defensively, Texas A&M has a dynamic duo that will strike fear into Alabama's hearts—Sean Porter and Damontre Moore will wreak havoc on A.J. McCarron.

Defensive end Damontre Moore is currently tied for second in total sacks with five for a total of 35 yards lost.

Linebacker Sean Porter is 6'2", 230 pounds of pain for opposing offenses. This year, he's got 12 tackles and 0.5 sacks. However, he can hurt Alabama by capitalizing on any mistakes made.

If Alabama "drops the ball," Texas A&M will take advantage and give the Crimson Tide a loss.

LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers have many contributing factors as to why they're an excellent team. They have great talent along with immense depth. They also bring back a lot of players that led the team to the national title game just last season.

Although Tyrann Mathieu won't be returning for the Tigers, LSU does bring back defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery—two players with enough talent to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

Between the two Tigers, the defensive ends have 15 tackles and a sack, but don't let this throw you off on just what they bring to the table. They were two important pieces in last year's journey, and they will most certainly play their role in this year's journey.

If LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger plays to his potential, we'll have a duel between QBs.

Whichever quarterback utilizes their weapons appropriately will prevail in this matchup.

Clearly, the problem Alabama will have with LSU comes as a result of a dominant defense. If the Crimson Tide can put enough points on the board, they could conquer the Tigers, but if they don't, their perfect season will be in jeopardy.

The Auburn Tigers will also be a big roadblock in the Crimson Tide's progression to a perfect season, but they're quite possibly the biggest roadblock this season.